Dissertation2 2 | - Freelance Writer
Jul 21, 2018 | #1
Voiskounsky and Smyslova studied the motivation of computer hacker's; the researchers wanted to find out how to best represent what is known as Hacker's psychology. The phenomenon is well known in media circles, yet not well studied by psychologists. Using the flow paradigm, the researchers examined whether the flow model was an appropriate model to represent the psychology of Hackers. Understanding why hackers do what they do can help intervene when the issue comes to light in some event; this may range from intervening for the juvenile offender, intervening in federal and state crimes, and ultimately helping society understand how to both safeguard their computer files and help hacker's overcome their addiction to maliciously stealing and corrupting computer files and hardware.
Flow is a psychological concept which refers to a cognitive state in which the person is fully energized, engaged, and focused on their activity. Stated more simply, flow is focused motivation. The researchers posit here that flow psychology can adequately explain hacker's psychology, indeed, that flow is part of what a hacker experiences and hence is motivation for the hacker to keep doing what they do. Furthermore, as the hacker's competence and experience in IT theft and corruption increases, so too does their flow experience.
To test this hypothesis, the researchers issued a web questionnaire where 457 hacker subjects were recruited from specialized internet sources. Elements of the questionnaire included competence in information technology use, the specific flow experience of the user, and relevant demographic data. An additional research component tested whether flow experience was universal or not; as hacking appears to be a universal phenomenon, so too might the flow experience.
The results of the questionnaire and universal research facet revealed that flow motivation adequately characterizes the least competent hackers; therefore the initial hypothesis that IT competence and flow increase in tandem is not confirmed. When the researchers administered increases in difficulty relating to IT competence, the subjects tended to experience a flow crisis; that is, the more difficult the hacking experience became, the less likely that flow motivation drove the hacker to keep engaging in the activity. The authors concluded that the flow paradigm was useful for confirming hacker's motivation in early stages, and explaining how a hacker progresses in their professional capacity. When a hacker does experience greater competence, they also experience flow; yet flow does not happen for more experienced users until and unless they master an IT element. However for beginning hackers, flow motivation regardless of skill level was present, yet tended to decline as difficulty increased.
This article on computer hacking, whether wireless hacking or hardware hacking, demonstrated an aspect of hacking that is not fully understood or well-studied. Hacker psychology in empirical research is truly at its infancy in the empirical realm of scientific study; based on addiction studies of gambling and other risky behaviors, there may be related hypotheses that could be applied to hacker psychology. The flow paradigm is one overall model for ascertaining the motivation of hackers, yet understanding the base of why hackers do what they do at a neurochemical level may be an interesting future study.
References
Voiskounsky, A., & Smyslova, O. Flow-based model of computer hackers' motivation. Cyber-psychology Behavior, 6(2), 171-180.
Flow is a psychological concept which refers to a cognitive state in which the person is fully energized, engaged, and focused on their activity. Stated more simply, flow is focused motivation. The researchers posit here that flow psychology can adequately explain hacker's psychology, indeed, that flow is part of what a hacker experiences and hence is motivation for the hacker to keep doing what they do. Furthermore, as the hacker's competence and experience in IT theft and corruption increases, so too does their flow experience.To test this hypothesis, the researchers issued a web questionnaire where 457 hacker subjects were recruited from specialized internet sources. Elements of the questionnaire included competence in information technology use, the specific flow experience of the user, and relevant demographic data. An additional research component tested whether flow experience was universal or not; as hacking appears to be a universal phenomenon, so too might the flow experience.
The results of the questionnaire and universal research facet revealed that flow motivation adequately characterizes the least competent hackers; therefore the initial hypothesis that IT competence and flow increase in tandem is not confirmed. When the researchers administered increases in difficulty relating to IT competence, the subjects tended to experience a flow crisis; that is, the more difficult the hacking experience became, the less likely that flow motivation drove the hacker to keep engaging in the activity. The authors concluded that the flow paradigm was useful for confirming hacker's motivation in early stages, and explaining how a hacker progresses in their professional capacity. When a hacker does experience greater competence, they also experience flow; yet flow does not happen for more experienced users until and unless they master an IT element. However for beginning hackers, flow motivation regardless of skill level was present, yet tended to decline as difficulty increased.
This article on computer hacking, whether wireless hacking or hardware hacking, demonstrated an aspect of hacking that is not fully understood or well-studied. Hacker psychology in empirical research is truly at its infancy in the empirical realm of scientific study; based on addiction studies of gambling and other risky behaviors, there may be related hypotheses that could be applied to hacker psychology. The flow paradigm is one overall model for ascertaining the motivation of hackers, yet understanding the base of why hackers do what they do at a neurochemical level may be an interesting future study.
References
Voiskounsky, A., & Smyslova, O. Flow-based model of computer hackers' motivation. Cyber-psychology Behavior, 6(2), 171-180.